


Because of who we are

by idanceinmykitchen



Series: Elite after season 3 [1]
Category: Elite (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Masturbation, Mentions of Sex, mentions of a blow job
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:54:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23374996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idanceinmykitchen/pseuds/idanceinmykitchen
Summary: I know this is not the most popular relationship in this TV show, but something about the three of them really caught my attention, I don't really see any poly relationships depicted where none of them are trying to break the other two apart. I really thought this three loved each other as best as they could and I wanted to give them a happy ending.
Relationships: Cayetana Grajera Pando/Polo, Polo/Valerio Montesinos Hendrich/Cayetana Grajera Pando, Valerio Montesinos Hendrich/Cayetana Grajera Pando, Valerio Montesinos Hendrich/Polo
Series: Elite after season 3 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681222
Comments: 15
Kudos: 28





	1. It felt right

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is centred around Cayetana and Polo, Valerio will come to play in the next one, don't worry, I'm not forgetting the guy.

Cayetana was on her way home, she was exhausted, she’d had classes in the morning and work in the afternoon and now it was past 8pm and she still had to finish a project for the next day. It was gonna be a long night and the bus was late.  
Her mom was working the night shift at the hospital and, since her grandfather died last summer, she had the place all to herself. She’d wanted to make a night of it, take a bath, make some sushi, watch netflix, maybe a face mask… But then the professor moved the deadline for the dissigne project and her plans had turned to dust. Now all she had waiting at home was a long night in front of a sketchbook, maybe she could still do the face mask if she managed to keep her hands clean.  
She stood up once she saw her bus approach, the lights blinded her for a second and she thought she’d imagined it. It couldn’t be, he couldn’t be there, what would he be doing there? She hadn’t seen him since the trial when he’d said he didn’t want to see her ever again.  
The bus came and went, but she stayed there. And so did he. They stared at each other from across the street. She still thought about them, both of them, when her mom didn’t come back home at night, when she was lonely and the days seemed too long and the nights appeared to have no end, she climbed under the covers and she pictured them there with her, by her side, when it rained she pretended she was in London.  
She knew he wouldn’t do anything, not if he wasn’t pressured into it, if she wanted something to happen she had to move. NOW. That’s why she crossed the street. He stared at her in panic but when she smiled, he smiled back, she’d missed that, the way his eyes got small and he lowered his head as if he was trying to hide behind something, it didn’t matter what.  
"Polo."  
"What are you doing here?"  
"Going home from work, you? I thought you were…"  
She didn’t finish her sentence, she didn’t need to, they both knew what she meant.  
"I have both rich moms and rich friends, people like me don’t stay in there for long. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound pretentious. I just… I haven’t… I don’t, I, I I."  
He paused and took a deep breath, he hadn’t stuttered in ages, seeing her there, the little dress, the sweet smile, that hat that seemed to be about to fall… He hadn’t allowed himself to think about her in years, she’d hurt him in a way he didn’t think was possible, he felt like he had been used by her, the way she almost made him believe her feelings were real… He forced himself to forget about that, at least for a while. But now she was here, looking as beautiful and as innocent as ever.  
"I didn’t mean that, I’m sorry"  
"It’s fine, it’s true and you didn’t deserve that."  
An uncomfortable silence settled between them, neither of them knew what to say, they stole glances at each other, not daring to really look but not being able to stop.  
"What are you doing here?"  
"Me…? I was just wondering around, the house fetl oppressing, my moms they… sorry, I don’t want to trouble you with my problems."  
He’d forgotten how easy it was to talk to her, the way she listened and always seemed to understand. He had to remind himself once again that it was all an act, she didn’t really care, she had always only been after the money, not him, never him, because, how could anyone really be willing to be with him knowing what he’d done?  
"I don’t mind, I always liked the way you talk. I… I missed it."  
It felt like she’d grabbed his heart and twisted it, but he felt so lonely, he always felt lonely, he’d felt lonely for years, since that night at their graduation party when he almost died. So he did the one thing he’d promised himself he’d never do again, he allowed himself to believe her, just for tonight.  
"What are you doing now?"  
Cayetana was sure she’d misheard him, she knew he’d meant it, that night at the courthouse when he’d told her she was dead to him and she was sure she’d made a mistake approaching him now.  
"Sorry?"  
"Now, what are you doing, do you… do you wanna hang? I have nothing to do here and I’m bored out of my mind."  
He finished the sentence hiding his face behind the collar of his jacket. When he held his head like that his eyelashes looked really long, and Cayetana could see the little drops of water hiding in between them, that’s when she realized it had started to rain and he really wanted that. She knew how much courage it had taken for him to say those words.  
"I need to get back home, I have a project due tomorrow and I really haven’t had the time to finish it."  
"Oh… Okay. I get it."  
"But you could come over and help me."  
She said those words very fast right when she saw his walls come up again, right in time for them to crumble back down, she always knew what to say and Polo could’ve sworn there was fear behind her words, but fear of what? of not seeing him again? that couldn’t be possible, not really.  
"We could eat something at least, my mom won’t be home and I know that my apartment has nothing to do with your house but at least there won’t be anyone to bother you, and if you just want to be alone I’ll understand, I swear, we can do whatever you want, or nothing at all..."  
His silence was killing her and so she rambled on and on about stupid things they could do or not do as he just stood there staring at her like she was the world’s most complicated puzzle and he had no idea how to begin assembling it.  
"... I don’t know… If you want to go home I’ll understand that too."  
"No, your place sounds great, are you still living at the same apartment?"  
"Oh, yes, we haven’t moved."  
She looked away a little bit embarrassed, she knew that there was nothing to be ashamed of, she was studying at university while working a part time job to be able to pay for the fees and have a little bit of fun on the weekends and her mom broke her back so she wouldn’t have to worry about rent or food or clothes or bills, but she knew the kind of life Polo lead and, even if she’d moved on from her teenage self, those fears of being less than because of the kind of money he had resurfaced a bit.  
"So how are we getting there? We cannot drive there, there’s no parking."  
That made her smile. Polo on a bus was definitely something she wanted to see.  
"The next bus is leaving in a couple of minutes and it stops right in front of my house, it’ll only take us 15 minutes to get there."  
Cayetana had to fight the urge of pulling out her phone and snapping a picture of his face right then and there, he looked comically scared.  
"What have you never been on a bus?"  
"Well, I..I, I… No, I actually haven’t."  
She laughed, she couldn’t help it and the sound of her laughter made his heart melt, he’d really loved her once and he was too close of loving her again, he had to go back, make up some kind of excuse and leave. He couldn’t afford to have his heart broken by her, not again. But then the bus stopped.  
"Come on! I promise you it doesn’t bite."  
He smiled and she felt bold enough to grab his hand and drag him across the street to the bus stop. They both tried to ignore the bolt of electricity that ran through their bodies once their hands touched, they were sure it was a one sided thing. They got inside the bus, drenched from head to toe and smiling in spite of themselves.  
Polo didn’t want to admit it out loud, but he felt uncomfortable and awkward sitting in those ran down seats, not knowing who had sat there first, the thought of the number of germs that could be in the bar that Cayetana held onto to get on the bus had crossed his mind, but she looked comfortable, like nothing could face her, like the fact that having an old woman right in front of them shouting to her phone’s microphone telling her son that yes, she had had her hearing aids fixed or a guy who looked way too drunk for how early it was snoozing a couple of sits behind them or the abrupt movements of the bus were all completely normal, natural and expected.  
That’s when it dawned on him, to her they were. When he remembered her in high school, their time together, it had always been expensive parties in expensive places with expensive clothes and expensive food and expensive drinks, or his place or some random restaurant he’d payed for, they had always met in his world, she barely talked about her life outside of school and he’d only been to her place a couple of times. The Cayetana he knew would never had been okay with them spending a night at her apartment, she’d have insisted to go back to his place or to leave it for another time. The thought that he was rediscovering her gave him butterflies, butterflies he wanted to pull the wings from one by one.  
Meanwhile Cayetana was sitting down staring out the window, she had her legs on the sit in front of her and she could see the way Polo was sitting down beside her with his back very straight as to not touch the chair, it was adorable, but it made her nervous, she was mindlessly pulling at a little bit of skin on her thumb. She could feel his eyes on her, the way he was examining her, and she couldn’t stop feeling exposed, he’d never seen her like that, but then again, they hadn’t seen each other in four whole years so maybe it wasn’t so out of place to be with him on a bus.  
She was taking this opportunity that had presented itself out of the blue but she wasn’t sure at all why he’d asked her if she had anything to do. Polo only took initiative when provoked and she hadn’t provoked him. Why did he ask? Had he really changed that much? He was still shy and reserved, and, aside from that question, he still seemed scared to voice his thoughts and feelings, but then, why had he? And, if he had changed it that aspect, even if it was just a little bit, could that mean that his thoughts towards her had changed as well? Maybe he didn’t hate her anymore. She held onto that, maybe they could build something back up. She’d missed him, not so much as a lover, she’d had plenty of those, but as a friend, the way he could listen to her going on and on about her dreams and her plans for hours, how powerful and in control he made her feel how special she felt when he opened up and actually talked about himself, how he allowed her to see that side of him. The way he laughed and smiled and how eager he was to please.  
Cayetana stood abruptly and, once again, she pulled Polo by the hand and got them off the bus. They hadn’t said a word to each other since their last exchange in the middle of the street. The walk to Cayetana’s building was short, but by then it was storming and once they got inside not even their socks were dry.  
Caye looked at Polo and couldn’t help but laugh, he looked ridiculous, his trousers were sticking to his skin in a way that made his legs look extremely thin and every time he walked his shoes made a weird sound.  
"You are laughing at me because you haven’t looked at the mirror yet."  
Polo was smiling, though, it felt nice to have someone to joke around with, and he couldn’t hold back a laugh when he saw the face Cayetana made when she looked in the mirror, her hair was sticking to her face like a dead weight, her makeup was running down her skin and the fake fur of her jacket had been officially ruined, she would’ve looked sad if it weren't for the big smile that had been plastered on her face since the bus ride.  
"Well, this is all very fixable, but you should take a shower though, otherwise you’ll catch a cold."  
Cayetana took off her jacket as she spoke and hung it outside the closet where she usually kept them so that it’d dry off and gestured to Polo to do the same.  
"You should shower first, it’s your house."  
"Don’t worry, I have dry clothes and you don’t, I’ll put yours in the dryer and, if we’re lucky, they’ll be dry once you get out of the shower."  
"I don’t know, I don’t want to give you any trouble."  
"It’s no trouble at all, I’m gonna be putting your clothes in with mine so I was gonna be doing it anyway. Come one, take a shower, I bet you really want it."  
"Well… If you insist."  
"I insist."  
Polo felt awkward, she’d taken off her high heels and he’d forgotten how tiny she actually was, his little bundle of energy. No, not his, she’d never been his, she’d only pretended to be his.  
He didn’t wanna impose, but he really wanted a shower, but if he took a shower then she wouldn’t and maybe she wanted to, if he wanted a shower that bad, maybe she did too? And it was her house, maybe she was just not taking it first to be a good host?  
Cayetana had left while he was spiraling and when she came back she had a couple of towels under her arm.  
"Polo, stop overthinking it, you want a shower, I have one, take one, I’ll shower later. Come on, I’ll make dinner while you shower."  
She gave him the towel and pushed him to the bathroom, he let her take the reigns, that’s how he’d always felt more comfortable. While he undressed he thought how easy it was to fall back into old habits, into old patterns, he could feel himself relax just by knowing that she was on the other side of that door. She’d given him so much, until he realized it all had been fake. What was he doing there? He never should’ve come, he should be home right now, watching one of those pretentious old movie his moms loved so much, cushioned in between them and passing a plate of raw carrots and hummus around, not staring at his face in Caye’s tiny bathroom mirror.  
The knock on the door pulled him out of his head and into the real world. The fact that he had needed that to ground him made him realize he was about to have a panic attack.  
"I’m gonna need your clothes to put them in the drier."  
"Yeah, yes, of course, I’ll leave them outside in a second."  
"Okay, I’ll be in the kitchen, just shout once they’re out and I’ll leave them outside the door again once they’re dry. They’ll be wrinkled, though."  
"Caye, I don’t mind, you’re already doing so much for me, having wrinkled clothes won’t be the end of the world."  
"I know, I just…"  
"You hate wearing things that are not perfect."  
She smiled, he remembered.  
"Exactly. Okay. I’ll be in the kitchen just…"  
"Yeah, I’ll tell you when I’m done."  
She stood there, in the middle of the corridor, staring at the door smiling like an idiot for a couple of seconds until she realized she looked silly and had things to do. She went to her kitchen, pulled out her phone, put on some music and opened the fridge. She didn’t want sushi anymore, she was cold and wet and wanted soup.  
She pulled out the broth she’d made that weekend and roamed through the drawers until she found the glass container where they kept the rice, her mom was constantly misplacing it, she was about to start heating up the broth when she heard Polo tell her that the clothes were outside.  
She went to her room, undressed, realized that even her underwear was wet and put on some dry, more comfortable clothes. She then went back to the bathroom door, picked up Polo’s things went to the kitchen and put it all in the dryer.  
She was scared, she realized once the broth was starting to boil. She was scared because she didn’t know what was happening, how long would it last or wether she could trust it, trust him. Was he gonna leave again? Was he going to hurt her? She realized she didn’t care if he left her broken again. She needed to give Polo another chance, and she needed to know what was going on.  
Having him close felt weird, she felt safe around him, even after everything he’d done, even after everything she’d done, being with him still felt safe, but it also reminded her of the person missing, being two was nice, being with Polo felt safe, she felt in control around Polo but she missed the craziness of being three, how chaotic things could get, how much fun it was.  
The thing was, having Polo in the other room still felt like a dream, and she needed to make sure he was real, that what was happening was real, she needed to find some common ground with Polo before even thinking of Val.  
Polo was officially freaking out. Naked in front of the mirror still, he grabbed the sink’s ceramic with both hands, he was forcing himself to breathe normally, find a way back to his regular breathing pattern. Eyes closed, body shaking, and hyperventilating. He didn’t have his pills with him, he hadn’t needed them in years, not even when he was locked up, confessing had weirdly calmed everything down but then, why was he having a panic attack?  
He knew the answer to that question, of course he did. Cayetana. He was calming down for the first time in 4 years he felt safe enough to think, to really think, to analyse what was going on and here he was, overanalyzing and freaking out.  
He still couldn’t figure out what he was doing here or why he felt an uncontrollable urge to trust Cayetana. She was the one who’d hurt him the most, he had to get out of there, that was the right thing to do, but, then, why didn’t he want to? Why did he want to lie by her side under the covers and let her run her hand through his hair until he fell asleep? Why did he want to rest his head on her lap and listen to her talk on and on about the future and her dreams? Why did he want to see her smile? Nothing made sense. She’d hurt him, she’d lied to him, he’d used him and would’ve continued using him if he hadn’t stopped her. She was cruel and calculating and, at the same time, she wasn’t. He needed to make up his mind about her and stop torturing himself.  
Once he arrived at that conclusion, he had a goal, to talk to her, and so calming down became easier. He showered and let the warm water melt the tension on his shoulders away, he let the warmth shelter him and he finally calmed down.  
Once he was done, his clothes were outside as promised, as well as a pair of socks made out of wool that looked like the warmest piece of clothing in the world, the fact that she’d thought about it, about him, that she’d remembered his feet were always cold, made him smile. What was happening to him?  
The shower and the panic attack had left him drained, at that point he just wanted to go to bed, but the smell of broth made his stomach growl, he was hungry and Cayetana’s chicken soup was the best one in the world.  
She was in the kitchen, barefoot with an overgrown sweater and yoga pants, her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, and she was dancing while pouring the soup into a couple of bowls. She looked free and adorable and he wanted to hug her and let her hold him and for them to tell each other it was all gonna be okay.  
"Are you gonna hurt me?"  
He hadn’t wanted to be so direct, he had wanted to ease into the question, but, he needed answers before things got anymore complicated and so the question just came out of him without him giving it permission to.  
She froze in the middle of the kitchen, like a deer caught in headlights, the happy music suddenly felt very out of place, like it was playing in another room, in a room where Polo hadn’t asked that question, in a room where one could be uncomplicatedly happy. Not there.  
"No. I’m not, I’ve never wanted to. I…"  
"Okay."  
Polo chose to believe her, he needed her, in a weird way he always had, and she looked so sincere, so hurt by his question, how could he not?  
She moved, walked slowly through the kitchen floor until she was standing right infront of him, there were tears in her eyes, she blinked once and one fell down her cheek, she looked scared but determined, Polo wondered why, why was she scared? She raised one hand and touched his cheek, he moved one of his hands to hold her hand there and the other looked for her other one and intertwined his fingers with hers.  
"And you?"  
"And me? What about me?"  
"Are you gonna hurt me?"  
Her voice broke when she asked the question, her eyes were full of uncertainty, why was she asking that? Had he actually hurt her? If he’d hurt her then… Then maybe, maybe it had all been real… If it had been real then, then he’d unnecessarily had ruined the best thing in his life, and had broken the heart of the two most important people in his life. He felt the tears run down his face.  
"I’ve never wanted to hurt you, I don’t want to hurt you, I…"  
She saw then that a panic attack was coming, she still remembered the signs, the unfocused eyes, the trembling hands, the shaky voice… She freed her other hand, held his face between her hands firmly and forced him to look at her.  
"Polo, Polo, look at me, I’m here. I know. It’s okay, it’s all gonna be okay."  
Polo looked at her, the certainty in her eyes, her will to pull him out of his own head and into the real world, the real world where they were together, where she was touching him, where someone beside his moms was touching him without fear or out of obligation, but because they wanted to, maybe because they needed to.  
"Polo, I need you here with me, I don’t want to have to eat this soup on my own."  
He laughed, a small and shy laugh, it felt good to be needed and she hugged him with all of her strength, his laugh was still the most wonderful thing in the world, and she just needed to make sure he was real, that he was there, that he wouldn’t disappear.  
It took him a moment or two to realize what was happening, she was holding him so tight it was hard to breathe and she was crying quietly, her tears soaking his polo shirt. He put his arms around her and held on tight, he found himself kissing the top of her head.  
"Caye, it’s fine, you won’t have to eat the soup alone, I’m actually pretty hungry."  
She laughed and untangled herself from him, dried the tears with her hands, grabbed one of the bowls, a spoon and sat down cross legged at one end of the sofa. He smiled and sat down at the other side.  
"We need to talk, you know? Like really talk."  
Polo smiled.  
"Yes, I know, but not tonight, please, I can’t deal with anymore feelings."  
"Can I ask you one question? Only one."  
"Okay, just one."  
"Have you thought about us, Valerio and I, during this 4 years?"  
That question took him by surprise, because no, he hadn’t.  
"I couldn’t let myself be vulnerable, I know you must think it’s impossible, but I needed to be hard to survive, and you and him, you two… It hurt too much to think about you and they smelled pain in there and I had to be tough, so no, and once I got my freedom back… I’d gotten used to not thinking about painful things."  
"You are the bravest person I know."  
He laughed at that, he wasn’t brave, he was a coward. She put her bowl aside and grabbed his knee.  
"It’s true, whether you wanna believe it or not."  
He looked aside, embarrassed, and she took back her bowl, it was so easy to fall back into old patterns, she knew that he was gonna ask her to change the subject.  
"So, what’s your project about?"  
She growled at him. She’d forgotten about it!  
"I hate you, it was finally out of my mind, I need to finish a sketch for a dress."  
"So, you’re studying fashion?"  
"Yep, what about you? What are you doing? It feels weird not knowing this things about you."  
"I know. I’ve got a degree on economics. I’m getting my masters degree in Berlin."  
"Wow… Impressive."  
They finished eating and she pulled out one of her grandfather’s old pyjamas while he texted his moms he wasn’t coming home. She settled down with her sketchbook, pens and pencils and he laid down on the sofa and fell asleep watching her draw.  
She woke him up once she was done, at around 2 am, and they moved to the bed, he fell back to sleep with her running her fingers through his hair and she fell asleep minutes after him.  
It felt right.


	2. You choose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cayetana and Polo go out on a date and they bump into someone from the past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo.... As promised, here's Valerio! Hope you really enjoy it, at the end things heat up a little bit, but nothing too explicit, I think... I'm still trying to figure out how to tag this things.  
> Anyway... I hope you enjoy it!  
> Please, for the love of god, stay safe and wash your hands.

Polo had seen Cayetana five times since that night, but it had always been in her world. They’d had lunch at her university with her friends, she had taken him to the movie theatre in her neighbourhood, he had accompanied her to buy fabrics for class and they had met a couple of times to have a beer at a bar two streets down from her house.  
Tonight was different, he had made reservations at a fancy restaurant downtown and was picking her up on his car, he was wearing a suite and was nervous af. He loved hanging out with Caye, even though they were still avoiding key topics, they understood each other. Being together felt natural, even his moms had seen the change in his behaviour, he smiled more, had become bolder and was happier, but they were both aware that there was one person missing. They hadn’t talked about Valerio since that first night, but they both felt the void he’d left, even if they avoided mentioning it.  
They hadn’t touched each other too much either, Polo felt like doing so without Valerio there would be like cheating, he knew it was stupid and childish, Valerio probably didn’t want anything with him anymore. Cayetana was easier to forgive, she’d been a scared teenager. Polo hadn’t talked to him since his confession about Marina, Valerio just blocked him out of his life and Polo understood it.  
It hurt. He hadn’t thought about all of that in ages, but since Cayetana came back all of this memories were resurfacing, and not only the memories, he was thinking about the past, about them, every second of every day and he realized how much he’d missed them, it was strange, he hadn’t thought of them i four years, he thought he didn’t miss them, he thought he was over them, but seeing Cayetana standing in that bus stop made him realize how wrong he’d been, how much he’d missed them, and not only because he felt lonely, loneliness was something he’d learned to deal with and he was fine with it, he’d missed them because it was them, he didn’t know what other way to put it, there had been fireworks when the three of them had been together, everything seemed to feet perfectly, they balanced each other out.  
Cayetana didn’t make him wait, he loved that about her, she’d said to come pick her up at 9pm and she came out of her apartment at 8:55 pm. She was nervous, she wasn’t used to this kind of stuff anymore, she’d made the dress she was wearing a couple of months ago for a class assignment and she honestly thought she’d never get the chance to wear it, she felt out of place and, even though Rebe told her to stop worrying she couldn’t help it. It all felt too weird.  
She really wanted to talk, to really talk, about the important things, but he seemed to be avoiding it like the plague, also, she really didn’t know what they were and that bothered her, they weren’t dating, she didn’t think so, but they weren’t really friends either, they were in a weird in-between place where she wasn’t really comfortable, she liked to have things labelled, and she knew he did too, so what on earth were they doing here?  
She got into his car without thinking too much about it and closed the door behind him. She looked at him and smiled, he just sat there and stared.  
"Are we gonna leave anytime soon?"  
Her words brought him out of his head, again. She looked beautiful, more beautiful than ever, but not in a "in your face" way, it was a sweet beauty, her hair fell around her face in waves, the makeup made her eyes look greener than ever, but it was subdued, it didn’t call attention to itself, instead, it just enlightened her best features in the most adorable way, she was wearing a pair of long, golden earrings that fell almost to her bare shoulders. Her dress was baby pink and made out of tool, it made her look almost like a dream, and she was, a dream, at least to him.  
"Polo, are you okay?"  
"Yeah, sorry", he said as he started the car, "you look breathtaking, that’s all."  
He saw her blush slightly from the corner of his eyes and he smiled.  
"So, how was your day?"  
She sighed and visibly relaxed into her sit, glad for the change of subject.  
"Amazing, do you remember last week’s assignment? Well, the teacher really liked it and wants me to submit it to this year’s university fashion week, all the students that get their work there end up having amazing job offers, it’s a really good way of getting your work noticed, and I could get noticed, that’d be amazing."  
"Wow, Caye, that’s great."  
Seeing her happy, smiling like her life couldn’t get any better made him happy, he loved how much she moved her hands when she was excited.  
"Well I have to get in first."  
"You will, don’t worry about it, and, if you don’t, I can ask my moms to pull a couple of strings, if you want."  
Her face changed suddenly, she was serious.  
"Polo, I’m grateful, really, I am, but I want to get in this industry because I deserve it, not because of you or your moms, I want my talent and my hard work to get noticed and I don’t wanna hear rumours that I am where I am because I know you. It’s like I told your moms when they offered to pay for my education, it’s time for me to be me and to accept myself for who I am, and for the world to see it."  
He stopped the car.  
"Why are you stopping?"  
"My moms offered to pay your university?"  
"Yeah, I thought you knew about it…"  
"No, I had no clue… Do you know why they wanted to?"  
"I don’t know… At the beginning I thought it was to get me away from you, but then they asked about it again after the trial and… I don’t know, by then it was pretty clear that you and I…"  
Caye felt uncomfortable, they hadn’t talked about any of that, Polo had avoided talking about the past and, although they both were aware that that had happened, he tried not to talk about it. It didn’t bring out the best memories exactly, but maybe it was time they tackled those months, maybe they were ready,  
"Any way, I think they were trying to thank me, in a way, I don’t think you could see it back then, I’m, I’m not even sure you know it right now, but I’ve always been at your side, from the first moment. I just… I really tried to protect you back then, neither Valerio nor you let me, but…" Cayetana thanked god that her makeup was waterproof, she moved in her sit so that she was facing him "I just wanted you to be safe and the fact that you couldn’t see it, that you thought I had only been there for the money… it broke my heart. I’m sorry, I made a bunch of mistakes that were honestly selfish and stupid, and unforgivable, but I made them because I couldn’t face the world without you, I really honestly loved you and the thought of losing you… I couldn’t face it, but I ended up losing you anyway, and you almost died because of me, if I had let you leave none of it would’ve happened."  
Polo just sat there, staring at her. She was crying, his walls fell for the last time and he allowed himself to believe her. She had loved him.  
"I’m sorry I hurt you."  
"Polo it was my fault I…"  
"I put you in a horrible position, I made you an accomplice to murder, Caye, no 17 year old should be put in that position."  
"I didn’t mind…"  
"But I do, I never said I’m sorry, and I am. I’m sorry that I made your life so complicated."  
"You made it better too, you made me believe anything could happen, you gave me something to fight for, you made me feel complete, I really loved you, Polo, murder or no murder."  
"You loved me?"  
"Of course I did, I was head over heels in love with you."  
"And now…?"  
Caye looked him in the eyes, trying to figure it out, she honestly didn’t know.  
"I love you", she said looking at him and he gave her one of his little shy smiles "... As for being in love, I don’t know, honestly. What about you?"  
"Oh, Caye, I’m so close to falling for you all over again it’s terrifying."  
She put her hand on top of his.  
"I know, but it’s not just that, it’s the fact that I’m not sure we work without Val and it breaks my heart."  
Polo hated to see the tears in her eyes, tears that so perfectly reflected what he was feeling, love, hope, fear, sadness, guilt… He saw himself in her in a way he’d never done and he couldn’t help it, he caressed her face and she melted into his touch while he leaned in. He stopped once their noses touched.  
"Can I…?"  
His voice was shaking and she smiled, she loved that she still made him nervous, and closed the space between them.  
The kiss was short and sweet, their lips barely touched for more than a couple of seconds and they both tasted each other's tears, felt each other’s pain and hope and happiness, they almost felt at home.  
Caye was the first to break the kiss and Polo laughed a quiet laugh and sat back up .  
"Come on, Polo, drive, I’m starving and I haven’t been in a 5 star hotel since Rebe’s birthday party."  
"I still haven’t processed that you two are best friends now."  
"Why not? She’s the best, she’s helped me through some really rough times and we come from the same place."  
"Yeah, but you are so different, you’re so polite and nice and sweet and she is… not."  
"Valerio almost slept with her once."  
"Re...really?" Polo found out he didn’t to think really hard to picture it "That’s actually a very Valerio thing to do."  
"Right?"  
They both laughed and the mood changed once again to something more lighthearted.  
"Polo, seriously, drive, I’m starving."  
"Okay, okay, we’re almost there anyway."  
The restaurant was beautiful, white with high ceilings, very modern and Caye was sure a dinner there cost the same as one month’s rent to her apartment. She felt inadequate once again, she didn’t really belong there, Polo on the other hand… He looked right at home, and when he smiled at her before addressing the waiter who was welcoming them she could almost see what it would be like to live by his side.  
"Polo, how long ago did you make the reservations for this?"  
"A couple of days ago, why?"  
"Isn’t the waiting list for this place like, a year long?"  
"Not for people like me."  
She laughed, she couldn’t help it.  
"What?"  
"You sounded so pretentious!"  
He blushed and looked away, embarrassed.  
"I...I...I’m sorry, I, I, I didn’t mean it like that…"  
"I know, you look cute when you blush…"  
That comment only made him blush even harder and Cayetana laughed at him again and poked his cheek with on of her perfectly manicured fingers.  
They both felt comfortable in each other’s presence, their rhythm was fluid and nice, neither of them had to think about what to say, they just talked and listened, it was easy and fun and they both felt like they could be doing that, talking to each other, forever.  
Dessert came and went way too quick for both of them and, once the bill was paid they just sat there staring at each other.  
"I’m not ready to go home yet."  
"Me neither."  
"What do you wanna do?"  
"Well", Polo pulled out his phone and checked that he was right "I know this really amazing cocktail bar two streets down from here, it’s a really nice night, we could just walk there, if you feel like it."  
"I would love to."  
They smiled at each other and stood up, they made their way to the bar with their arms linked and Polo’s blazer over Caye’s shoulders. The place was full, but not too crowded and they could hear each other over the music and other people without having to scream. They both ordered and sat down at a table in the corner.  
Cayetana was laughing about some silly joke he’d made when she saw Polo freeze, she was about to ask him what had happened when, suddenly, she saw Valerio, he was standing on a stool, above everything and everyone. He looked spectacular in a tailored pink suite. He hadn’t changed at all, not one bit, but, at the same time, he looked healthier, less out of control, even if he still looked wild and free and crazy, he seemed to shine, he demanded the attention of the whole room. Cayetana smiled, he seemed happy, it was weird to see him happy, and the fact that he found a way to be happy after everything they’d been through made her happy.  
Polo was officially freaking out, he was lucky he hadn’t dated that many people, because if meeting a new ex again after a long time of not seeing each other meant having a panic attack he could not afford many more. Valerio looked extremely hot, more than he remembered and he was probably still mad at him, he remembered his face after his confession so clearly, how hurt he was. It made Polo realize the other boy had actually believed him, he had seen the best in him, even if that didn’t really exist.  
"Ladies, gentlemen and everyone in between. I’ve just closed a business deal that will make me not have to worry about life for a few years, so the next round of drinks is on me!"  
Cayetana laughed and was about to get up and go to him when she saw Polo’s terrified expression.  
"Polo, what’s wrong?"  
"He’s here."  
"Yes, I can see that, I thought you missed him."  
"I did, I do, but… He might not have forgiven me, maybe he doesn’t want to see me anymore, maybe he’s still angry and hurt and, what I did is unforgivable."  
"No it’s not. You didn’t wanna kill her and you’ve worked so hard to leave those impulses behind and, if he’s still angry, which I don’t think so, that’s his problem, not yours, you made a mistake and paid for it."  
"Yeah, that doesn’t mean… I don’t… I don’t know how anyone could want to be by my side after everything, I don’t understand why you’re here, I don’t get it, you should’ve left a long time ago, you shouldn't have approached me at the bus stop ."  
Cayetana looked at him for a long time, his blue eyes, his sharp cheekbones, his beautiful lips… She wiped a tear off his face. She loved him, it was that simple.  
"When I’m with you… This last week has been one of the best ones of my life. You make me happy and I feel safe by your side, my life doesn’t feel as out of control when I’m with you, I feel more centred, you make me feel focused."  
Polo smiled, she always knew exactly what to say and, to be honest, it kind of bothered him that she knew how to make him smile even when he didn’t want to. It felt kind of like losing a battle, a stupid nonsensical battle, where he was trying to be sad and miserable and she was trying to remind him how beautiful life could be.  
"One of the best ones? Not the best?"  
"Oh, no, the best ones where when Rebe and I backpacked through Europe for 3 weeks. "  
"So I’m losing to Rebe, smelly trains and shitty hostel rooms?"  
"And hot guys, a lot of hot guys."  
"Instead of just one."  
Caye laughed.  
"Exactly. Polo, you can stay here if you want to, but I’m gonna go talk to Valerio."  
"I think I’ll stay, I… I wouldn’t know how."  
"It’s fine, you can stay, but I really want you to know that I think you can 100% do this".  
Cayetana stood up and kissed the top of his head before she left.  
Valerio was in the bathroom washing his hands, it had been a really great day, to be honest, he hadn’t had a day this good in a very long time, he’d driven his sister to the airport to get on the plane that would take her back to New York, and he’d loved seeing her one last time, happy and as sassy as ever. Then he’d had lunch with Carla in the winery, she didn’t really like talking about it, but he had seen the ring on her finger, it felt weird thinking that she was about to tie the knot with Samuel (even if it was still officially a secret Valerio had found out), but it had to happen and, under heer cool exterior, he could see she was happy and that was all that mattered, that Samuel made her smile.  
And then he’d had the business meeting. He’d gotten a very important line of hotels to only serve wine from their winery. That meant billions of euros, a big chunk of which would go straight to his pocket and half of those to Lu, so she could lead her kind of lifestyle in New York. But he’d wanted to celebrate. None of his friends felt up to the task, so he went out alone, hoping to get back home with someone beautiful under his arm.  
That’s when he saw her in the mirror, leaning on the door frame, in pink, just like him, but where he looked dangerous she looked sweet and innocent, he knew that last part was a lie, but if he hadn’t seen her naked, that dress would had made him think she was a virgin, the most beautiful virgin in the world. Her face said otherwise, she was smirking at him, asking for trouble.  
God, it had been ages since he’d seen her for the last time, but he could still read her like a book, he still remembered every single mannerism. She was a dream, half of his dream.  
"Thank you for the drink."  
She smiled, a sweet, honest smile that reached her eyes and he couldn’t help it, he crossed the room in two steps and hugged her so hard and tight he lifted her off the ground, she laughed and hugged him back.  
"God, Caye! I’ve missed you so badly!" He put her back down and made her twirl. "You look beautiful, and older."  
She laughed and rearranged her dress.  
"Well, it’s been four years, and you don’t look so bad yourself."  
He laughed and straightened his suite.  
"Have you missed me?"  
Caye smiled at that question, he was staring at her, his hair full of unruly curls, his head slightly turned to the left, his big contagious smile, his eyes filled of mischief. Her heart skipped a bit.  
"Of course I’ve missed you, silly."  
He held her face carefully in his hands and looked at her in the eyes, even though she was wearing hills he towered over her, he looked like he was searching for something in her eyes, she didn’t know what but he seemed to find it and, then he gave her the biggest kiss on the cheek she’d ever gotten. It made her laugh with joy, she was 100% happy.  
"So, how come you’re not toasting with a bottle of champagne? I thought you couldn’t go out without one under your arm."  
"Nope, I couldn’t and so I went to rehab and now I don’t drink."  
He almost looked shy saying that, but she could see all the effort, the sleepless nights, all the battles against his own mind written all over his face and she didn’t pity him. She respected and admired him, and he could see that in her eyes and had to fight the urge to smash their lips together.  
"Good, I always knew you could do it."  
"I know."  
That’s when he saw Polo, he didn’t really come in, he stood behind Cayetana using her as a human shield, he’d finished his drink and let it go to his head. He wanted to see Valerio, to talk to him, to see his reaction. Cayetana was right, he needed to be brave, but maybe staying at a safe distance was smart, at least until he saw Valerio’s reaction. Valerio froze when he saw Polo, he had been smiling at Cayetana, obviously happy to see the girl, but then he was suddenly cold and miles away, unreachable. Polo was also different, more distanced, more guarded, they both stared at each other in silence for a while.  
Valerio hadn’t expected it. Seeing Cayetana had been nice, amazing, like something he didn’t really deserve, seeing Polo… it hurt. The boy had hurt him like nobody else ever had, not even Lu, and not for lack of trying on her side, but it wasn’t just that he’d hurt him, it was that he felt guilty, he’d covered up his sister’s actions and had forced everyone else to do so, he’d only talked to Polo once after he woke up at the hospital, and it was to tell him to lie. Then he’d left him forever, or at least that’s what he thought, he'd hated him for a long time, not because of what he'd done to Marina, he already suspected that, but because of what he'd done to Lu, he'd almost turned his sister into a murderer, he had kind of forgiven him after some time, it was just a suicide attempt, but the feelings, he found out, were still kind of there buried deep inside.  
He could see Cayetana sensing the shift in the room and he saw her step closer to Polo. It hurt. It hurt more than he’d expected it to hurt. It made him remember how protective Cayetana had always been of the two of them, always making sure they were safe and happy, always making sure Polo had some fun and that he didn’t have too much fun, and the fact that now she thought Polo needed protection, protection from him, it hurt.  
Another thing that hurt was that she wasn’t surprised to see the other boy, they had seen each other before that night. They had seen each other without him. That realization broke his heart. It also made sense. It had been just the two of them before he came along, it made sense that the two of them had kept in touch after. He’d just been a bump in the road, easily forgotten.  
"Hi, Valerio."  
He sounded shy and scared. All he wanted to do was cross the room and hug him, Cayetana wasn’t the only one always trying to protect Polo, it turned out he wanted to do so too. But he didn’t really know how to act around the guy, his sister had tried to murder him and he’d covered it up but Polo had also murdered someone, and kind of made his sister murder him… Above all, he realized, he was mad, he was practically seeing red, they'd betrayed him, left him out, how long had they been dating without him? Why hadn't they called? Did he matter so little?  
"Weren't you supposed to be in jail?"  
Cayetana was mad, Valerio had been happy and nice to her, why did he have to say that in the most assholeish kind of way? She could feel Polo flinch behind her.  
"I… I got out. Good behaviour."  
Polo decided to straighten his back. He could hear his moms telling him to be a man and, if Valerio wanted a fight, he wasn’t about to be the punching bag, not anymore, he hadn’t been that in years, he wasn’t gonna let Valerio do that to him. Did that question hurt? Yeah, of course it did, but the two of them could play that game.  
"Did you come here to do a line of coke?"  
Polo knew the question had hurt the other boy, he didn’t care. Or at least that’s what he told himself.  
"Polo!"  
Cayetana was literally caught in the middle. The two men were staring at each other, the room felt tense and saturated with a mix of anger, hurt, guilt and, not that it surprised her, sexual tension. She knew, though, that the two of them were 100% able to hurt each other, physically, just because they could, they were mad and frustrated and didn’t really know how to deal with their feelings, they were like two angry bulls facing each other in the middle of a ring, and it was scary.  
"Well, at least I haven’t murdered anyone."  
"Valerio!"  
"No, Caye, it’s fine, you might not have murdered anyone, but you covered up one, right? I mean, the whole “suicide attempt” was your idea, right? Very clever on your side."  
"She didn’t kill you, she didn’t deserve to go to jail, you basically made her do it, and it’s not like it was your first attempt, right?"  
"Valerio, that’s enough, you know he didn’t want for the Marina thing to happen and none of us are saints here. Bringing up the suicide attempt is a low blow."  
"Attempts, sweety, attempts. And, that’s right, defend him, it’s has always been the two of you first, right?"  
It clicked in Polo’s head, he could finally see it crystal clear. Jealousy. He relaxed, came into the room and hugged Caye from behind, close to his body.  
"So that’s why you’re mad, it’s not because of Marina, it’s not because of what happened four years ago… you’re jealous. You’re jealous that Caye and I came here together without you tonight."  
Valerio looked to the side, avoiding eye contact, his eyes were watering. It hurt. They looked beautiful standing there together, side by side, like they were made for each other.  
Caye held Polo’s hand, put her drink on the floor and moved to grab Valerio’s. He let her do it, even if he really didn’t want to, he felt hurt, betrayed for no reason and petty, extremely petty and vulnerable, one wrong word from either of them would destroy him.  
"Valerio, remember what I told you last time you were having doubts? About other halfs? How things worked between us? The two of us when you’re not there?"  
Valerio turned his head around, just enough to let them see his tears and gave Caye half a smile.  
"I’d understand if things had changed, you know? It’s been four years."  
Polo was looking at the whole exchange, he didn’t really know what they were talking about, but he wanted to hold his hand, so he moved to Cayetana¡s side and held out his arm, waiting for Valerio to make the last step and hold his hand. He stood there for a couple of seconds, waiting and hoping. Valerio looked at him, no walls between them, just their eyes showing their naked hearts.  
Cayetana looked at them while they were having their silent conversation, she could see it, the pain, the guilt and how they forgave each other, at least partly.  
Valerio took Polo’s hand. It was an innocent touch, they looked like seven years olds playing in a park.  
"Valerio, we haven’t even touched each other without you."  
"Polo! Did you need to be so crude?"  
"I think it worked, didn’t it?"  
Valerio laughed. It did.  
"Yeah it does."  
Caye rolled her eyes.  
"Boys. One of them is hard enough, I had to go get myself in a threesome with two."  
Polo and Valerio laughed and Valerio pulled them in for a hug. They all felt safe and at home, this is how things were meant to be. The three of them, together.  
"This is so weird, why do I feel like no time has passed at all?"  
Polo and Caye smiled at him.  
"I for one am happy it did", Polo said smiling at the two of them, when he saw their confused expressions he explained himself. "Thanks to the fact that it has, we might have a chance, this might work. Even if it’s the three of us and no one will really understand."  
Caye looked at the two of them, hovering over her. She was in love again.  
"Before it didn’t work, not because we were three, but because of the three that we were, we were toxic, all of us. We are not the same three scared teenagers that we were. We are not a scammer an addict and a murderer anymore, we are us."  
"We are us?" Valerio laughed. "This doesn’t mean anything!"  
"Well! I have no clue what we are, I know I’m trying to be a fashion designer, but I have absolutely no clue what else, and I don’t know about any of you anymore".  
Polo looked at her.  
"I really want to find out, though, with both of you by my side."  
Valerio laughed.  
"Polo, that’s corny as fuck, I kind of expected it from Cayetana, but from you?"  
"Come on, Valerio, you know he’s the corniest one out of all of us."  
They all laughed. There, in that bathroom, they were happy.  
"Do you want to come over to my place? I mean, if you don’t think it’s too early or anything."  
Polo and Cayetana looked at each other and smirked.  
"It’s definitely not too early."  
"Besides, this dress itches so much, I really wanna get out of it."  
Valerio spun her around and pressed her to himself, with one hand he started to undo the zipper at her side.  
"Get off! Not right now. Let’s get to your house first."  
Polo laughed at the two of them, grabbed Valerio and pressed him to his body, so close their mouths almost touched, he turned his head to look at Cayetana.  
"That’s such a pity, I really wanted to have sex in this bathroom where everyone can hear you scream."  
"I don’t scream during sex."  
The two boys laughed at her comment. She was LOUD.  
"Yes, you do". Valerio used his position to forcefully grab Polo’s face and kiss him hard and quick on the lips. The two guys felt the bolt of electricity and, even though Valerio had intended to do that to make Caye laugh, he pulled back and couldn’t stop staring at the other boy’s lips. Polo wasn’t doing much better, he was about to cry because of how happy he was. He moved forward and kissed the other boy again, soft and gentle this time, a kiss so full of love and desire, so intimate, it would’ve made anyone else turn their heads around to let them have a private moment. Not Cayetana.  
The girl was still holding the boys’ hands and she let them go and moved over to kiss Valerio’s neck, slowly and softly, she got on her tiptoes and smelled him, he still smelled the same under a new, expensive cologne, it was still Valerio, her Valerio.  
"I love you." She whispered the words to his neck, like a secret, knowing that none of them could hear her, then she kissed the spot, knowing his birthmark would keep her secret, a secret she wasn’t ready to share.  
Valerio moved so that she was sandwiched between the two boys and kissed her, soft, scared of scaring her away, scared of how rapidly feelings he thought were buried were starting to resurface, scared of losing them and so thankful for having them.  
Polo was kissing her neck, he was NOT being gentle, he wanted the two of them to be naked, he wanted to see them have sex, he wanted to see them pant and moan and melt and he wanted them to make him scream, he wanted to show them how much he cared with his body. His mind was blank for once, lost in the familiar, yet foreign feeling of having the two of them with him. He was sucking a hickey in Cayetana’s neck, who didn’t really know what to do, Valerio kissing her so softly her toes curled and Polo attacking her neck with such passion and devotion she had a pool forming in her underwear. She let herself go, turned around and crashed her lips to Polo’s and pressed her bod firmly to his.  
Polo grabbed Cayetana’s ass and lifted her up, they were full on grinding as Valerio watched. The sight had him more turned on than any porn he’d ever watched. Polo walked and sat Cayetana on the sink, then turned around and crashed his lips to Valerio’s, the boy moaned when their crotches touched through the fabric of their pants. They were both visibly turned on.  
Cayetana was uncomfortably moving around trying to get some friction, she could feel that the wetness had soaked through her underwear and was sticking on her tights. She needed contact, but she didn’t feel comfortable touching herself in a public place.  
The boys didn’t really seem to have a problem with that. Polo had one hand inside of Valerio’s underwear and was beginning to stroke, he really wanted him in his mouth, he missed working him up, he even missed choking. He sank to his knees in front of Valerio’s mesmerized eyes.  
Valerio didn’t really believe it wasn’t a dream, seeing Polo’s blue, hungry eyes staring up at him, looking for permission. He could only nod and wait for the other boy to untie his belt and unzip his pants. He looked so beautiful, kneeling there, concentrated on his pants, unwrapping him like a present.  
Valerio felt Cayetana behind him, how she hugged him close to her, he was sure she was gonna unbutton his shirt and almost came imagining her playing with his nipples. He turned around to kiss her and moved a hand, he wanted to touch her, to make her feel what he was sure Polo was about to make him feel, but she didn’t let him.  
"Guys."  
Polo stopped for a moment, what was going on? Why was Cayetana talking with such a serious tone of voice.  
"Guys, while I really want for this to happen, I really don’t want it to happen here. Couldn’t we move to a bed?"  
Valerio pouted.  
"But beds are so far away…"  
Polo stood up and looked at her, really looked, and saw she was scared, for him, the fact that someone might catch them was a turn on, but maybe it wasn’t for her.  
"Valerio, come on, we can continue in a few minutes, I’ll drive."  
Valerio looked sad, but accepted it. The face he made made Polo and Cayetana laugh.  
"Don’t pout, we’ll be all naked in half an hour."  
Valerio stuck his tongue out as he put his belt back on.  
They all got out of the bathroom together, red cheeks and heavy breaths, the only sign they had ever even been in that bathroom was Cayetana's forgotten drink on the floor.  
They ran and kissed and hugged all the way to Polo’s car, laughing non-stop. Once they got in, Valerio gave Polo the address and they quieted down. Looking through the window in a comfortable silence they saw other cars and they wondered if the people inside them had ever felt as happy as they did right then.  
They got inside the apartment and Valerio guided them into the bedroom in silence. They undressed slowly and without saying a word. Once they were all naked they stared at each other for a long time.  
"What should we do now?"  
The two boys looked at Cayetana and smirked.  
"You choose."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... That's the end of chapter 2, at the beginning I was planing to end it here, but I think there's still another episode here, but it'll take me a couple of days to write.  
> As always, all your love and support is highly appreciated. I started to do this because quarantine is boring, but it's fun and I think I'll make one of this for every major relationship in the show.  
> Thank you so much for everything!!! Stay safe and lots of love from Spain!


	3. Me three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cayetana, Valerio and Polo share a quiet morning together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... Last chapter! I hope this makes the quarantine/the social distancing/self isolation more bearable, I know it's helping me.  
> As always, thank you so much for reading and please try to stay at home as much as possible, I know some of us have obligations and work and things that we can't stop doing, but let's limit our time on the streets and wash out hands!

He woke up confused, a soft light got in through the the window, it probably was early morning. He looked around and saw them. His heart stopped for a moment. It hadn’t been a dream, both Polo and Cayetana were naked under his covers. Cayetana had her head on his shoulder and Polo was hugging her from the other side. Valerio smiled and softly caressed Polo’s hand. They were both deeply asleep, they looked young and beautiful, like a sculpture of two greek gods in a museum.   
He checked his phone, it was 9am. He had slept 5 hours tops, but he felt rested and renewed. He sat up and felt a little bit sore, he wasn’t used to that feeling, but it wasn’t unwelcome, it reminded him of the amazing night he’d shared with the two beautiful people beside him.  
The room was a mess and it smelled like sex. There was no other way to put it, he didn’t want to clean it up though, not right now. He checked his phone again and saw that Lu had texted him she was going to bed because she was jet lagged and that Carla had called him a couple of times, which was weird because it was Saturday and he usually had those all to himself, which he really wanted right now. He thought that it was best to get up and call the girl back, so he got off the bed. Just as he was doing so, a hand grabbed his. Polo was staring at him through heavy eyelids and sleepy eyes, very confused.  
“Where are you going? Don’t leave”.  
Valerio looked at him and smiled a sweet smile, he wasn’t used to being wanted like that, not because they could get something out of him, not for sex or fun or work. Polo right now just wanted to fall asleep by his side and wake up at lunch time. It was nice, to just be wanted for no reason other than to curl under the covers.  
“I need to make a phone call, it’s for work, I’ll be right back.”  
Valerio kissed the other boy softly on the lips, not caring about morning breath, and Polo raised a hand to keep him there, throwing him out of balance and making him almost fall on Cayetana.  
Valerio chuckled, “come on Polo, I’ll be right back, don’t wake Caye up”. He gave him another peck and went to the drawers on the other side of the room to pull out some boxers. When he left the room Polo and Caye had snuggled together and were sleeping soundly. He almost took a picture. They really looked like Greek gods, his Greek gods.  
He sat down by the pool, with his feet on the water basking in the early morning sun, thanking god summer was approaching, and called Carla.  
“Hey, you saw that I called”  
“Of course I did, good morning”  
“Good morning, your voice is a little hoarse, did you have fun last night?”  
Valerio smiled and laid down on the floor, looking up at the cloudless sky.  
“It was one of the best nights of my life”.  
“I’m glad, you deserved it”. Valerio could hear the smile in Carla’s voice.  
“Why did you call? Is something wrong with the wineries?”  
“Oh, no, everything is fine, I just wanted to know if you were up for some brunch.”  
“I can’t today, sorry…”  
“Oh, okay…” He could hear the disappointment in Carla’s voice, but he didn’t really wanna get into last night’s details, he didn’t really know what to say either, so he prefered not to say anything.   
“Why don’t you ask Samuel?”  
“I already did, you’re my second option”  
“Ouch”. He pretended the comment hurt, but it didn’t, it was okay.  
“I’m sorry, Carla, I really can’t today, maybe tomorrow?”  
“I’m bored today, not tomorrow.”  
“You could always start planning your wedding.”  
“Shut up, I never should’ve told you.”  
“You didn’t tell me, I guessed it.”  
“Don’t flatter yourself.”  
Valerio yawned into the phone speaker.  
“Do I bore you?”  
“No, not at all, I just need to get back to bed.”  
Carla laughed on the other side of the phone. “Okay, have fun.”  
“Goodbye, gorgeous.”  
“Bye. Use protection.”  
“Always”  
He hanged up the phone and stayed in the same position for a couple of minutes, staring at the sun with his eyes closed, enjoying the warmth. He dozed off at some point. Polo woke him up kicking him softly with his foot.  
“You’re gonna get sunburned”.   
Valerio looked up at him, he was only wearing boxers and he could see every single muscle in his tall, lean body.  
“Those boxers are mine.”  
Polo blushed, the boy blushed so easily, he expected some kind of stuttered apology, but the Polo just smiled.  
“I think you like it.” Valerio laughed.  
“Yes, I do. Come on, sit here with me for a little bit, it’s super nice.”  
Polo laid down by his side, facing down, his feet in the water, it felt like heaven. He was the happiest he’d been in a long time, he’d loved that last night, not just because of the sex, which had been grate, but because of the connection, the love he could feel pouring out of his skin and into Caye and Valerio with every touch, every kiss, every moan and every grunt and vice versa. None of them had said it, but he could feel it, and it was real and true and right.  
“I really love your but” Polo laughed and moved closer to Valerio so that he could tease the boy by putting their faces together, almost to the point of kissing.  
“I know” He whispered into Valerio’s lips and then moved back to his initial position. Valerio laughed, grabbed him and moved him so that he was straddling Valerio. Polo decided to tickle the other boy until he begged for mercy. They were goofing around, laughing, and being kids.   
Once a truce was established, Polo looked at Valerio, really looked at him from his position above the other boy.  
“What are you looking at?”  
“You, you look hotter than I remembered”  
Valerio laughed “Well, not doing drugs will do that to you”.  
Polo laughed and Valerio was grateful for that, for the fact that Polo didn’t make a big thing of his addiction, the fact that he didn’t comment on it or asked any questions, he seemed to understand it, and to understand that making jokes about it was really a coping mechanism because sometimes he was extremely close to go out in search of a drug dealer.  
“What was your work call about?”  
“Actually, nothing, Carla just wanted to go out for brunch, I obviously told her I had better plans.” Valerio sat up to kiss Polo, but the other boy moved back just a little bit. “What’s wrong?”  
“How is she, Carla, I haven’t had any news of her for a long time.”  
Valerio smiled. “She’s great, with Samu, living the best life”. Polo looked to the side, thoughtful. “What’s going on?”  
“I really don’t know where I stand with her, I know Samu hates me, I don’t have to ask anyone to know that, and I learned to live with that long ago, it’s uncertainty that I can’t take. Like, with you as well, you’re not 100% okay with me, right?”  
Valerio looked at the other boy and thought about it, he loved him, he made him feel like someone worthwhile, he understood him and took care of him, but he’d also caused his sister a lot of pain and had lied to him and had been very quick to judge, but maybe he’d been guilty of that last one as well, if not with Polo, surely with Cayetana. The only thing he was 100% sure about was that Polo deserved the truth.  
“No, we are not 100% okay. We’ve hurt each other deeply, even if it happened four years ago. But… I don’t know… I really wanna give this a chance, even if it’s not gonna be easy, even if it’s gonna entail a bunch of conversations I don’t wanna have.”  
Polo looked at him with something that could only be described as adoration.  
“Thank you, thank you for being honest” Valerio could’ve sworn a tear was about to fall from Polo’s eyes, but then the boy laughed. “I don’t wanna have those conversations either, just so you know.”  
“Well we don’t have to have them right now, or today, we can just enjoy the day today.”  
Polo caressed the other boy’s face with the knuckles of his hand. “I’d love that, though Cayetana won’t let us get away with this for very long”.  
Valerio groaned and laid back down. “Where is she?”  
“Asleep. She doesn’t get too much rest during the week, between work, school and assignments… She doesn’t get to sleep for more than 5 hours a day.”  
“Well, let’s make her breakfast, then, she’s earned it.”  
Polo stood up and held out a hand to help Valerio up.  
“Do you even know how to cook?” Valerio might have changed a bit and given up drugs, but Polo found it hard to picture him cooking anything.  
“I know how to pour milk and cereal.” Polo laughed, Valerio loved seeing that he could make him laugh.  
“I’m making pancakes.” Polo saw how Valerio’s eyes just lit up from excitement and fell a little more in love.  
Valerio was extremely proud, if you asked Polo it was for doing nothing, if you asked Valerio, he’d set the tray beautifully.   
“Where did you learn how to cook, anyway?I thought you had a cook all your life.”  
“I did. I still do, even in Berlin, but… Jail is boring and I really didn’t wanna talk to anyone or make friends, my therapist told me to pick up a hobby and there were cooking classes on the inside.”  
Valerio looked at him, he wasn’t expecting that answer. He hadn’t heard Polo really mention jail yet. He guessed it was a touchy topic so he let it go and focused on the other part of his answer instead.  
“Therapist? What do you need a therapist for?”  
Polo looked at the other boy, puzzled. Didn’t he know? Hadn’t he figured it out?  
“I mean… My anxiety and abandonment issues drove me to kill someone. It’s my fault, I do not blame my mental illness for Marina’s death, that was on me, 100%. But once I was locked up my moms got me a really good therapist and she diagnosed me with anxiety, so my panic attacks come from that, I think. Any way, with therapy and medication I’m keeping it kind of under control, now.”  
Valerio looked at Polo, he was speaking looking down, like trying to hide himself, like not looking at him as he spoke helped the words come out, like he was scared of Valerio’s response, so Valerio did what he did best, he went over and kissed Polo softly.  
“Good. I thought I was the only one mentally ill of this relationship.”  
Polo chukled.  
“So, we are in a relationship,now?”  
Valerio shrugged, “I don’t know what else to call it, if not that.”  
“Well, I think we should ask for Caye’s opinion, I mean, it’s not fair we decide on things that affect her like that without having her in the room.” Polo was teasing. That realization made Valerio laugh. He loved how easily they were able to go from touchy, difficult topics to joking around. He loved that Polo could keep up with his mind and then add some of his own, even if it was tentatively.   
“Does she know about the anxiety?”  
“I haven’t explicitly told her, but given the fact that she was the one that pulled me out of the water when I tried to kill myself and that she’s walked me out of a panic attack more times than I care to count… I think she doesn’t need me to spell it out.”  
“You don’t need to spell out what?”  
Both boys turned around and saw her standing in the middle of the kitchen trying to comb her hair with her fingers. Valerio almost passed out. She was wearing one of his shirts, it was too big for her, it fell almost to her knees and she was wearing a pair of fluffy socks he didn’t know he owned that went all the way up to mid-calf. “You have no right to look this hot this early in the morning”.   
Cayetana smiled and went up to snuggle by Polo’s side. “I woke up alone.” Polo looked at her, the blond hair, the sad green eyes and the little pout her lips were making.  
“We didn’t want to wake you up. I know you don’t sleep too much during the week.”  
She smiled a small smile. “I know… Thank you, it’s just that waking up alone after last night felt weird”.  
Valerio stepped in holding the tray. “We were planning to wake you up with breakfast in bed in a couple of minutes.”   
The girl smiled the biggest smile in the world, the whole room lit up. “I would’ve loved that. Thank you so much. I’m sorry I ruined the surprise.”  
“It’s fine, we can eat it here”. Polo kissed the top of her head.  
“Oooor… We could be really lazy and go back to bed and eat there.”  
Cayetana laughed at Valerio’s suggestion, grabbed Polo’s hand and dragged him to the room, they fell on the bed laughing and Valerio left the tray on the other side and jumped on the bed with them.  
“Why are the windows open?”  
“Where are all the clothes?”  
The two boys looked around confused, they’d left a room that looked like a pigs’ layer and had come back to a clean one, even the bed was made.  
“Well, I hate untidy rooms, sorry? Also, it smelled of sex. A lot.”  
Valerio laughed and kissed her hard on the lips.  
“Honey, I love that smell, it reminds me of an amazing night.” Polo and Cayetana didn’t laugh at his comment, they just looked at him adoringly. It made him kind of uncomfortable. “Well, I’m gonna close the window because it’s freezing and then we’re gonna have breakfast because I’m starving.”  
They were lying around in in the pool, it wasn’t warm enough to get in the water, but the sun was nice and being able to just be together without having to do anything, not even talk was strangely satisfying.   
Cayetana felt more comfortable, rested and calm than she’d felt in a long time, she was resting her head in Valerio’s stomach and had one foot on the water, she was stroking Polo’s hair with her other hand, the boys were holding hands. It was paradise.  
“Can we play a game?”  
Valerio was about to fall asleep when he heard Caye. “I don’t want to get up.”  
“Me neither, we won’t have to.”  
“Polo, what do you think?” Valerio and Caye waited for the boy’s response, but it never came. He was very much asleep, breathing heavily.  
“He looks so cute like this.” Cayetana couldn’t stop staring at Polo and the strong lines of his face.  
“He looks peaceful, he doesn’t look peaceful that often.”  
“He’s, I’d say tortured, but that makes it sound romantic, and it’s not.”  
Valerio stared at both of them, lying there in his clothes. And thought about what Caye’d sayed. No. It wasn’t romantic, Polo was trying very hard not to fall apart and wasn’t sure he could win the battle.  
“No, Caye, it’s not romantic. I said some horrible things yesterday, we both said them, but you… You didn’t. Why didn’t you? Aren’t you mad at us?”  
“Honestly? No. There’s nothing I can be mad about, everything that happened is in the past and we were all scared and lonely and doing whatever we could to survive a truly messed up situation. I made mistakes, and you made mistakes and Polo made mistakes. But I think we’ve all worked very hard to fix them to the best of our abilities and to not repeat them again, and that’s all I can ask for, you know? That you’re sorry and tried to fix things and be better.”  
Valerio looked at her with admiration, she was so small and so young, but she really had the gift of saying whatever was needed in every situation and making the people around her believe it. The thing is, he didn’t think she’d ever lied about the important stuff, her feelings and hopes and dreams had always been laid out in the open, for everyone to see, even if she had lied about her family and where she came from, she’d never lied about what truly mattered. And that’s why he knew she was saying the truth, lying there in his pool with her eyes closed and speaking softly.  
“I wish I could forgive as easily as you can. It’s… It’s harder for me, I don’t know why… And I hate it, because this thing we have between us, whatever it is, won’t reach its full potential until I do, and I really wanna be with the both of you 100%”.  
Cayetana looked up at him, he was smiling sadly and his curls fell over his eyes, he looked extremely vulnerable and more mature than she’d ever seen him at the same time. She smiled.  
“I think the important thing here is for you to be honest with both of us and to try to forgive us, I think if you do that we can work this out.”  
“I’m not mad at you, Caye, why would I be mad at you?”  
“Because I send those twits to the school in London so that Polo wouldn’t be accepted. God, I feel so shitty whenever I think about it, if I hadn’t done that, I don’t know maybe we’d all be happier.”  
“Maybe, or maybe not. But I’m not mad at you for that, not anymore, it’s like you said, we all worked really hard not to repeat those mistakes.”  
Cayetana smiled and they laid there in silence for a few more minutes.  
“And you? Are you mad at me?”  
“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong.”  
Valerio chuckled. “Yes I did. I left you alone. Polo was treating you like shit, even when you declared on his favour, which you did an amazing job of, by the way, he was mean and hurt you. And I saw it and left. I didn’t do anything, I know you were going through a rough time and only made things more difficult by making you lie about what happened with Lu.”  
Cayetana thought about it for a moment. “I didn’t blame you for it back then and I don’t blame you for it now. You were protecting your sister and I had screwed up big time, so it made sense you were with Lu. She needed you more than I did. I had Rebe with me at all times, she helped, and Lu needed you.”  
“I know, it’s just that when I look back at how I treated you I feel like an asshole”. Cayetana shrugged. “No, Caye, you deserved better. I promise I’ll try to be there for you next time.”  
Cayetana was quietly crying. It felt good, even if she didn’t blame him for that, it felt good to be assured that it wouldn’t happen again, because it had hurt. She felt loved and safe.  
“I really like that the three of us are together again.”  
Valerio and Caye stared at Polo, who had spoken from Caye’s stomach.  
“How long have you been listening?”   
“I haven’t, I was practically asleep, I just heard your voices and loved it.” Polo was telling the truth, he was so sleepy he was saying things he wouldn’t usually say. He turned around and fell asleep again.  
“I love when he’s like this, like when he’s high, he loses any kind of filter.” Valerio laughed at Caye’s comment. “I really like that we are all together again, too.”   
“Me three.”  
“Valerio! That’s a horrible joke.”  
“Well, it’s true, me three”  
“Me three” Cayetana repeated Valerio’s statement. It wasn’t a lie.  
They fell asleep and woke up happy and sunburned. They didn’t care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of this story, I think I'm happy with were I've left them. I'm gonna be writing one about Carla and Samuel next, but I wanted to start with them because I think a huge part of the hate there is for Cayetana is because of classicism and NOT ON MY WATCH. So this is my way of supporting this relationship. Also, they are poly and that's amazing.

**Author's Note:**

> So the quarantine made me binge watch this show like crazy. I loved it. I hope you'll like this and thank you for reading it!


End file.
